TOC in
wastewater
treatment:
vital warnings
The presence of organic compounds
in a water sample can indicate any
of number of things, including
contamination which could have serious
consequences. In this article, Peter
Morgan of Elementar UK gives the
lowdown on Total Organic Carbon (TOC),
how it is used in the wastewater industry
and the types of instrumentation and
methods used to analyse it.
The Knowledge
www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | MARCH 2018 | 27
PETER MORGAN
TECHNICAL SALES SPECIALIST
ELEMENTAR UK
Q: What is Total
Organic Carbon?
A:
Total organic carbon
(TOC) is the amount of
carbon found in any organic
sample. It has a wide range
of applications, including
checking the water quality,
analysing the cleanliness of
pharmaceutical equipment,
or even identifying the
amount of carbon contained
within a soil sample. It is
important to note that TOC
instrumentation does not
help to identify non-organic
compounds.
Q: Why must we
measure TOC in
wastewater?
A:
In most countries
measuring TOC is a
mandatory requirement
for those operating in the
wastewater sector. For
instance, organisations
that frequently discharge
wastewater into watercourses
TOTAL ORGANIC CARBON Q&A
will have to ensure they
monitor TOC levels and
report these figures to the
appropriate regulatory bodies.
Q: What are the con-
sequences of failing
to measure TOC in
wastewater?
A:
They can be quite
severe for humans and
the environment. The TOC
content of water is a basic
indication of the level of
organic contamination and
water purity. As a substance,
water can contain both natural
and synthetic organic matter,
which are both measured
using TOC testing. Examples of
natural organic matter include
amine, urea, and in some
cases even faecal matter.
Synthetic contaminants
include, but are not limited
to, pesticides, detergents,
fertilisers and herbicides.
With both of these types
of matter in mind, TOC gives
